PAKATAN Harapan (PH) has rejected Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) minimum request for an electoral pact to be allowed to contest in Sungai Siput in the coming general election, its deputy chairman S. Arutchelvan said today.

He said that the party was informed of PH’s decision through an official letter dated today.

“Without a single seat given, we understand that PH does not desire an electoral pact with PSM. 

“We regret the matter being informed to us so late in spite of statement by PKR deputy president Rafizi (Ramli) on Friday that certain seats were allocated for PSM and Muda,” said Arutchelvan.

In a separate development, PKR president and PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim announced that PKR’s S. Kesavan will defend the Sungai Siput seat.

PSM had planned to name its chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar as the candidate by getting PH’s support to withdraw its candidate.

In the last general election, PKR’s Kesavan defeated Jeyakumar in the seat, which had been MIC’s traditional seat until 2008.

In the coming polls, MIC president S.A. Vigneswaran is expected to contest in Sungai Siput.

Arutchelvan said that PSM had requested for an electoral pact with PH because it was the desire of its members, supporters as well as civil society members that PSM should not stand alone but join a coalition. 

“PH, through official channels, agreed that a process on the electoral pact with PSM will be initiated. 

“In the two meetings we held, PSM put forward a very minimum request. We requested that our chairman be allowed to stand as he is the best and most winnable candidate for Sungai Siput,” he said.

“We are disappointed that there was no serious effort made by PH to hasten this process or find a way in spite of numerous efforts on our part,” he added.

“We would just like to tell our members and supporters that we have tried. The pact is over but not the struggle.”

He said PSM will be holding an emergency central committee meeting today as well as national committee meeting tomorrow to decide if it would be contesting or sitting out the coming general election. – October 30, 2022.